-Prime Minister Edi Rama, after a marathon testimony of over 10 hours before the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee you said it was your interest to spell out the issue and make the opposition’s claims clear to the citizens. Did you achieve this goal?
Prime Minister Edi Rama: This is something we are going to find out when the citizens will seize their next opportunity to speak up and people do speak up by vote. The rest I believe was a marathon that was worth it, as everyone listened to all that was to be said. Whoever has eyes, let them see, whoever has ears, let them hear, whoever wishes to understand, let them understand, who doesn’t, let them do so. We can do nothing about it.
-Mr. Rama, you underlined over and over again that the 430 million euro cost claimed by the opposition is not true and the Committee members failed to clarify the claims. What is going to happen now?
PM Edi Rama: What was not explained?
-At least what the Committee members claimed, the 430 million euro cost was not properly explained by members. What will happen next?
PM Edi Rama: There is no explanation for the Committee members to explain, because the amount of 430 million euros claimed by members doesn’t exist. It is about an amount of 430 million euros that is prescribed in the contracts for waste treatment services until 2047 as a commitment to continue paying for collection, treatment, processing and conversion of waste into energy. It doesn’t exist. So, it is not an amount in the state coffers, or out of the state coffers and it was created a detestable and loathsome narrative that needed to be clarified and you already saw for yourselves that they were provided the opportunity to admit and ultimately acknowledge as Mrs. Tabaku already said “you can’t award concession contracts on the future.”
So it is about a political commitment that goes and extends well beyond my terms in politics, as well as beyond the political terms of Mrs. Tabaku herself. So, this is entirely a farce orchestrated as a smear campaign and for the opposition to do what they can always do best. As I already said, as for the SPAK investigation into suspicions of corruption charges, the investigation is something completely different and it is all about totally individual responsibilities of whoever stands accused of involvement in corruption affairs behind the government’s back, behind the institutions’ back and behind the public’s back. This is why we have embarked and delivered on judicial reform and that’s why we are seeking to establish differences between things. The government has its own tasks, cabinet members, deputy ministers and everyone working in the executive branches has their tasks to deliver on, while the opposition and MPs have their own job and justice has its job. One cannot live in a country turned into hell by the reciprocity of accusations, with everyone being accused of being thieves and criminals. It can no longer be the case.
This is the reason why we are distinguishing among the things and this is definitely going to happen gradually and steadily, but such a process would certainly take its time. However, I am proud we have already ushered in a new phase, as I would challenge anyone to say whether they have ever imagined until just a few years ago that former cabinet members have been convicted or have been arrested and remand in custody while awaiting trial on various charges. Has anyone ever imagined that a totally independent prosecution office would be established with prosecutors not caring at all what others think, but instead move ahead with their investigations? So these are the early signs of a transformation that would certainly take its time, because this country has always lacked justice. It was not that a justice system was operational before the communist regime was to take over and it was destroyed by communists, or a proper justice system was built after the collapse of the communist regime and it was then destroyed. There has never been a destination, where the court did justice. These are the initial steps, because it is about a deep backwardness and one cannot leave behind such backwardness just because I or we want to do so, but it takes courage to deliver on the justice reform and unlike the previous majorities we had that courage; it takes determination to press ahead with the reform and we are determined to do so; it takes immense patience and self-restraint even when you come across certain court rulings you would never be willing to accept, but we have decided to invest in such a new culture and other things too.
– Mr. Prime Minister, you said you were proud of the waste incinerators, as well as you were proud of the cooperation with Lefter Koka, when he used to serve as Minister of Environment. Would you ask for his assistance to push for more similar future projects?
PM Edi Rama: I stopped here with all due respect after 10 hours of testimony, but it should be wise for you to think twice before you make such questions so that you refrain from imitating the worst examples you had today before your very eyes. This is a lack of ethics and I would decline to comment further for now and instead I will tell you that it would be wise for you not to imitate the worst examples. I want you to quote me correctly and refrain from using political jargon and slang. This is what I think it is better for you to do, but it is you the one to decide what to do. I face many braggarts so I don’t mind facing some more, but that’s not good. You are young and this is not journalism ethics.
– You expressed pride in incinerators …
PM Edi Rama: What do you mean by whether I would demand assistance? What do you mean by this?
– I mean assistance since you stated that you have been cooperating with Mr. Lefter Koka. You are proud of the work to construct incinerators.
PM Edi Rama: To err is human, to persist is devilish. I told this to Committee members, I am telling it to you as you deserve it too.
– How do you feel when you return to testify in front of an inquiry Committee after 20 years and give a 13-hour testimony?
PM Edi Rama: How long did it last? 13 or 10 hours? Please, you are all faltering in providing figures.
– We are taking into account our working hours too.
PM Edi Rama: You have been staying longer actually. How did I feel? It is actually unfortunate to see after so many years, a generation has already passed and yet they have remained all the same. It is really regrettable.
– Mr. Rama, would you file a lawsuit against Luçiano Boçi for alleging you are a member of a structured criminal gang?
PM Edi Rama: We will take time for SPAK to finalize whole investigations and refer all the charges, if established any, to the court and we will then refer the case of the structured criminal gang to the respective court. I am not talking about names but for sure that unfortunately, I say unfortunately that it is not my wish, now we have made the court as a place where we meet Mrs. Tabaku, we will meet again once this is over. Mrs. Tabaku is a recidivist for slander, I’m sorry, but I will have to do it again because it is very serious, it does not happen in any country, no matter how tense the political struggle, for a politician, a political party, a politician to engage with the public to prosecute a structured criminal group, is something that does not happen. But certainly this won’t happen before the whole investigation is conducted. When the whole investigation is over, because this is not an investigation but a farce, but the SPAK investigation, then of course we will go to court.
– Do you regret this communication strategy that delayed so much the response to the accusations made by the opposition for more than 6 months?
PM Edi Rama: I waited for “the Big Brother” to end. Goodbye!
